22DEC12 - Weekly Meeting

[Aryte]

With a great respect for the future, I prefix tonight’s remarks with the warning that what will be discussed is something of an exciting, but potentially alarming subject for some. I request that those present provide me the opportunity to complete my statement before chiming in. There will be ample opportunity at the end to discuss and share thoughts. I will do my best to expound upon the topic to a fulfilling degree, however I quite welcome any questions or statements upon the completion of this presentation.

We have reached a crossroad here in the Ordo. We stand at an unusual precipice, with particularly unusual choices set before us. For some months, it has been all too apparent that a state of decay has been heavy set upon the SLMC. Such inactivity left us with the necessity to examine our methods and pursue modification to standard practices. These efforts bore fruit, but continual degradation presented itself.

The last month has seen a clear absconding of Ordo personnel away from the SLMC. Not from the Ordo-- but the SLMC. Our projection in the military community has slid to a flatline, with some 30+ Ordo members on TS3, and yet hardly another soul outside of the Mercury bot on sim.

At first, this fracture was most prevalent among the officer corps. Despite multiple attempts from my end to encourage a renewed interest, it became rather clear the vast majority had very clearly all but abandoned SL participation. This trend has percolated down to the enlistees. At any given time of day, I can tab through my friends list or glance on TS3 and find at least a dozen Ordo members shirking the SLMC, but participating with one another elsewhere.

It was an immediate concern to me. I feared that our organization had entered a stage of failure. However, I began to realize something quite critical here-- you need only look around to see it for yourself. The organization, the interest to stick together, the spirit . . . it is still very present. Ordo members are still participating with Ordo members. Simply, not here. Not in the SLMC. We diversified our presence. We have reached into other communities and other games.

Interesting, to say in the least. Although, troubling from the perspective of being an SLMC. It is a rather strange circumstance to have dozens of personnel present, but have an empty region.

How does one solve that problem? That answer remains elusive to me. I, personally, have found it extraordinarily challenging to garner any sense of interest. I have remained, as pledged, present to assist and guide this organization only out of desire to be present for those still intrigued by the SLMC. But as that intrigue clearly erodes, I am left with several distinct options. I offered each to the officer corps last week:

• Resignation. I felt it inappropriate to maintain the role of Imperator when my commitment to solving the SLMC concern was entirely eroded. I offered to step from the Imperator role and take a new appointment as a sort of observer. My existence would only be to ensure the wheels kept turning, the sim remained, and that no irreversible damage was done.
  
• Greater involvement by the officer staff. I provided the option for the command team to greatly enhance their own time commitment by taking over many of my functions, whilst maintaining my presence as Imperator. I called upon a great deal of effort from the corps at a whole and outlined the pitfalls that I saw from past pledges.
  
• Exodus from the SLMC. As the third choice, I offered the suggestion that the Ordo consider moving away from the decaying SLMC and pursue a wider presence as a full gaming community.
  

The officers debated the matter throughout the week and well into the command meeting on Sunday. Ultimately, no individual was willing to permit me to take a prolonged vacation and cast off my offer for resignation. I will attempt to be humble, but I definitely appreciated the continued faith in my vision. However, the vote was rather decisive between the remaining selections.

On the question of increasing officer involvement, the vote scored 20.83% (5 votes). On the question of pursuing a new direction as a gaming community, the vote scored 79.17% (19 votes). The primary arguments were heavily centralized upon three main themes. One: there is a prevailing sense of wasted effort on the SLMC-- there is no reward, no desire, no sense of pleasure in SL combat. Two: in the past, pledges for heavier involvement have left a small number of ‘doers’ left with the burden that should be shared among all. And three: we have run into a brick wall on the SLMC; the community is shrinking and there is a sense of inevitability.

It goes without saying, this would be a dramatic shift for us. However, it appears to be a shift that will now need to be explored. I realize that this would not be a path that absolutely everyone would embrace. As such, I certainly will not fault anyone who feels a different choice is theirs to partake in.

Nevertheless, I have taken the opportunity to envision how matters would persist. I have chewed on some key elements and would like to now present them. Please keep in mind, this is hardly all inclusive.

• Titan would remain up. The new region build would persist forward and the donors compensated as planned. The intent would be to utilize Titan for Ordo purposes, regardless if we participate in the SLMC. Titan would be a semi-exclusive domain for Ordo members, offer store space for Ordo merchants, and be available in the future for any potential prospects into new avenues (whether that’s a new community, an RP venture . . etc).
  
• Exclusivity for enlistees would be erased. Individuals still interested in the SLMC, whom are not commissioned officers, would be permitted to join another SLMC (and maintain membership in any other community group outside of SL). This will permit the few who still enjoy the SLMC to still participate with the Ordo elsewhere. It shall also set a new realistic precedence: enlistment in other gaming communities will only be forbidden when said community is in direct opposition to our interests on any given platform. Further, for those who have some slight inkling but aren’t interested in another SLMC, lone wolfing would be entirely acceptable. You shall also have the opportunity to access the complete Ordo SLMC arsenal.
  
• Most of our structure will be adapted. There is a place for everyone-- if not a greater place. Curia, IEA, AiR, Tactica . . . all have a place in a community level Ordo, despite a new environment.
  
• As a community group, the sky's the limit. We wouldn’t be expecting everyone to play PS2, or to play X, Y, or Z. The goal would be to rapidly expand our presence on as many platforms as we can manage. BF3, PS2, GW2 -- wherever there’s a considerable interest, the Ordo will build a chapter. Further, this grants a huge opportunity for those in those areas to essentially lead their own “legion” and feed into the overall community from whatever game they feel connected to.
  
• Community rank will be universal. If you’ve earned a rank here, it will translate directly to the new establishment and translate over to any platform you wish to participate with us on.
  

Ultimately, the Ordo would not be disbanding. We’d be changing venues and pursuing a far greater level of influence on platforms far more enjoyable than the SLMC.

That said, before we persist further, I would like to give you all the opportunity to speak your minds and get out your sentiments.

[Xoza]

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[Guest Afevis]

@ Tsume / Karl: We're already doing the sim open on X days thing. :[

[UNKNOWN USER]

End of an Era, beginning of a new.

Alas, I enjoyed my time in SLMC Ordo...once I get outside of the hospital i will join theo ther platforms..

[Aryte]

End of an Era, beginning of a new.

Alas, I enjoyed my time in SLMC Ordo...once I get outside of the hospital i will join theo ther platforms..

♥